After the First
by TechnicoloredPossum
Summary: Hermann had spent so long arguing and ridiculing the idea of drifting with a kaiju that he simply couldn't believe that it had come to pass. A quick look at how Hermann would've responded to finding Newton straight after his first drift.


**Author's Note: I watched Pacific Rim recently and felt that the first Kaiju mind-meld scene could've been dragged out just a lil' bit. I haven't written for a long long time but this pretty much wrote itself.**

Hermann had spent so long arguing and ridiculing the idea of drifting with a kaiju that he simply couldn't believe that it had come to pass. He couldn't believe that his lab-mate had been foolish enough to go through with it. More importantly Hermann couldn't believe that he had, in retrospect, done nothing to prevent it.

"Newton? Newton! What have you done?!"

The smaller man was sat, legs splayed, convulsing on the ground. Newton's glasses lay at an odd angle in his lap, and his head was still surrounded in a halo of red light where the Mark 1 equipment continued to mush his brain against that of an alien juggernaut.

Hermann was not trained for this; he was a scientist who did not even possess the most basic first aid certificate. Really, for once, he had no idea what to do.

Moving as fast as his lame leg would allow, Hermann scooted across Newton's violently shivering legs and knelt by his side. Without thinking, Hermann grabbed the other man by the shoulder and brought the palm of his hand down on the back of the glowing red headgear. As soon as it detached he carefully maneuvered it away from his subject's skull and threw the offending torture device as far as he dared without truly damaging it (that would not look good on the financial report.)

"Newton." He tried again. "Newton can you hear me?"

He brought one hand down onto Newton's disgusting-smelling shirt, pressing against the skin near his collar. He wasn't even competent at finding a pulse point for Christ sake!

The rush of adrenaline coursing through Hermann's veins was quickly running thin; he could feel the throb of pain constantly pulsing through his leg get worse with the awkward crouching position he'd put himself in. He could also feel the unusual thrumming ache of anxiety in his chest, which came from the same source as the adrenaline; his damnable lab-mate. There would be hell to pay when they got through this.

Newton cracked one eye open, and then the other. A thick drip of blood moved sluggishly out of one nostril. Newton's jaw worked, but no intelligible word formed.

"Right." Hermann had been gifted with an incredible ability to take almost any emotion and convert it straight into irritation. Worry was one of them.

" _Du Hurensohn_." Herman braced himself to stand using his one good leg; both arms pulling against his semi-conscious lab-mate enough to drop him into the waiting wheely chair. "You knew full well that you could've died and that _I_ would have to come and clear up the mess, you damnable bastard."

Wait, had Newton timed this so that he would arrive in the nick of time? Or even worse, had he tried to time this so that no one would arrive…..and was he even out of the woods now?

Something clattered to the ground and Hermann noted absent mindedly that it was Newton's wedge-thick glasses. He scooped them up and slipped them into Newton's breast pocket, where they jittered against still spasming muscles.

"H'mann?"

Hermann used one armrest to swivel the chair and looked straight into dazed, bloodshot eyes.

"You better have a damn good reason for playing such a foolish game when our research is at it's most pivotal, Newton." He tried to chastise but it came out in a much weaker tone than he'd planned.

"Please dude you've got to g-get Pentecost; this is b-bad."

Newton's body still didn't seem quite under his own control. He was so pale that the red of his eyes was in stark contrast with the rest of his face.

Hermann's mind was lost in a whirlwind. How do you fix a person who has drifted with a kaiju? What equation could be used to compensate for such a shock to the body? Human beings are made of on average 57% water and dehydration can be a result of shock….so perhaps some water will help? Water is important to give to people who are unwell, correct?

He had already found himself a measuring cylinder and filled it from the hand wash sink. He pressed it into Newton's still shaking hand and was met with a look of slightly startled gratitude. But instead of taking the cylinder from him, Newton latched on to his wrist and held on like a drowning man.

"Herm' it's important. The Kaiju are sentient. Pentecost needs to know; we have to change our approach."

Under the special circumstances, Hermann would excuse the abbreviation of his already abbreviated title. He did however regret following the instruction of a man who may well be delusional. But the sharp glint in Newton's eye told him that his lab partner was as astute as he had always been, though Hermann would rue the day he ever admitted that out loud.

With an eye roll and a resigned sigh, Hermann turned tail and moved as fast as he could out of the lab and towards the bridge. This day was turning out more ridiculous than he'd ever expected it could. If what Newton said was true there was little that remained certain for what lay ahead.

Only one absolute was clear to him now; as long as he was around, Newton wouldn't be doing any more self-flagellating experiments for the sake of his precious Kaiju. Or at the very least, he wouldn't be allowed to do them alone.

 **Footnote:**

 **Du Hurensohn = "you son of a bitch"**

 **Hope you liked it!**


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